2013 Recruiting

[furls]

Yeah, that whole situation just reeked of S. Henderson and a dad with an agenda.

[motherscratcher]

Refresh my memory about Anzalone. Is he the kid who had his picture taken with an alleged pedo booster when he was on an unofficial? Dad went bonkers like his son spent the weekend in CBus spooning with Gary Glitter, right?

[furls]

Pretty much, but the Pedo was not a booster, just a jock sniffer.

Personally, I think the Dad wanted Anzalone at UF (family ties to the school), but Alex got caught up in the moment on an unofficial visit and committed. There were also rumors of underage drinking on the visit which was supervised by the kids Mom. Dad flipped his shit and Alex decommitted and attempted to commit at UF who was already full (think they had 4 LBs at that point), so Alex jumped on board with a verbal to ND.

It appears that UF has figured out how to squeeze him into their class, so he is now a UF lean although he remains "committed" to ND. Daddy gets his way. I wonder if he will start rapping a la Henderson's Dad.

[e0y2e3]

The Dad went to UF for his dental degree or some shit.

Fucking dentists, kill em all.

And yeah, the dad is going to get his way. It's a shame, as the kid with very close with both Bosa and little Heurman and has no decommitted from each of them.

[furls]

Dads that are that big of a nuisance don't get better once a kid is signed, sealed and delivered (see James, Craig).

[dmiles]

A fellow anti-Dentite I see....

[motherscratcher]

A fellow anti-Dentite I see....

You're all anti-dentites. Every damn miserable one of you.

Bunch of pussies.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

A fellow anti-Dentite I see....

You're all anti-dentites. Every damn miserable one of you.

Bunch of pussies.

I think you're ok despite your profession.

[FUDU]

Mo, what kind of gum do you recommend for your patients who chew gum?

[furls]

I heard 9/10 denists chew your mom's gum!

OH SNAP. OH NO HE DIDN'T. OH Yes He DIid!

[motherscratcher]

Mo, what kind of gum do you recommend for your patients who chew gum?

Hubba Bubba or Big Red. Whatever has the most sugar.

[dmiles]

I miss San Diego when I'd head to TJ for dental work. My dentist was American and kept an office in Chula Vista for those not willing to enter a war zone, but if you went to TJ, it was cheap. Much better than using my insurance.

[furls]

Mo, what kind of gum do you recommend for your patients who chew gum?

Hubba Bubba or Big Red. Whatever has the most sugar.

You don't recommend chewing his Mom's gum?

[furls]

I miss San Diego when I'd head to TJ for dental work. My dentist was American and kept an office in Chula Vista for those not willing to enter a war zone, but if you went to TJ, it was cheap. Much better than using my insurance.

Good ole' Chula-Juana

[furls]

Bob Foster says he is coming for an official visit. Still nervous about his dumbassery, but he is a good player. Right now I would have to say that the Bucks are likely to get Quick and Gibson. Add Foster to that and Holy Shit that is a WR crop (with the frequently ommitted Taivon Jacobs).

[YahooFanChicago]

Good updates.

I thought that Quick was a strong Louisville lean?

Foster was consdired a strong Pitt lean?

...or am I wrong about that?

If Urban was able to get those guys then wow...add that to what we already have and it seems like Urban has his wide receiver core.

What about linebackers?

[neoleo]

I thought that Quick was a strong Louisville lean?

All reports say Quick comes to OSU if Strong leaves Louisville, and I would say the chances are slim that Strong is UL's coach next year. Off the top of my head, I can see him being a candidate at Auburn, Arkansas and potentially Texas this off season.

[mattvan1]

I thought that Quick was a strong Louisville lean?

All reports say Quick comes to OSU if Strong leaves Louisville, and I would say the chances are slim that Strong is UL's coach next year. Off the top of my head, I can see him being a candidate at Auburn, Arkansas and potentially Texas this off season.

Never say never but if Texas were to ease out Mack Brown (and they won't this year) I doubt seriously they would consider Charlie Strong.

[neoleo]

I thought that Quick was a strong Louisville lean?

All reports say Quick comes to OSU if Strong leaves Louisville, and I would say the chances are slim that Strong is UL's coach next year. Off the top of my head, I can see him being a candidate at Auburn, Arkansas and potentially Texas this off season.

Never say never but if Texas were to ease out Mack Brown (and they won't this year) I doubt seriously they would consider Mack Strong.

Regardless, I don't see Strong staying at Louisville, which is why you'll see people pegging Quick to OSU despite him being a UL lean at this point.

[furls]

So there are lots of rumors about Quick and Foster. Here is what we know and think we know about each:

Quick:
What we know:
-He is down to tOSU and Louisville.
What we think we know:
-He is a strong UofL lean.
-UofL is out if Strong leaves. (I completely agree on this)
-Now there are pretty decent rumors out there that the UofL lean stuff may not be as accurate as originally thought. There are a couple of the recruiting guys that claim that Quick may actually be tOSU's but is keeping it quiet through the season. This is not as uncommon as you would think, they don't want the home crowd to turn on them Jordan Hicks comes to mind as a guy that did this recently in OH.
-I think there is about 0% chance Strong is at UofL next year. There are a lot of very good jobs opening up out there and Strong will be a short list candidate for all of them (TN, Ark, Aubarn, immediately come to mind). Additionally, even if he is not immediately picked for one of those jobs, he will certainly be in the running to replace anyone that is.

Foster:
What we know:
-He is down to 'Bama, tOSU and Pitt.
What we think we know:
-tOSU cooled on Bob after his visit. It is now coming out that there is some truth to that, but the rumors that tOSU stopped recruiting him have proven to be false. The story is that they have stayed in contact with him throughout. Something definitely happened, but they did not stop recruiting him.
-Pitt was rumored to lead, but recent articles/interviews with Bob claim that he is 100% open. He is visiting 'Bama this week and will be taking an OV to tOSU. If the staff didn't still want him, they wouldn't pay for him to come. I gotta gut feeling that he is tOSU's to lose. He is a guy that has stated that he was not interested in going to far away (hence Pitt and tOSU), and I cannot see how Pitt's season thus far is inspiring anyone to buy what Cryst is selling. I think their RB recruit for 2013 has either decommitted or is expected to in the near future.

I think tOSU gets both if they want them.

[e0y2e3]

Nobody that knows Foster sees him leaving Pitt at this point and nobody knows what the OSU interest level is. Whatever he did on that visit, it required his coach intervening to even get OSU to keep talking to him..... I just don't see it happening. Especially with Gibson a lock at this point (if his test comes back fine) and Quick being Urban's #1 WR target.

What's clear at this point is that Urban desperately wants three guys, Mitchell, Bell and Quick, followed closely by Johnson. I would be shocked if he doesn't land at least 2/4 (with Dooley's job status in Tenn also playing a big role with Bell).

As for the next committ, I got money that it is Skai Moore during the Illinois game. Every scout everywhere loves that kid and says he will be moving up the rankings and it is OSU v. Vandy v. Rutgers. I don't see how they don't win this one (unless Miami comes with the hometown offer late).

In other strange news, Ohio is officially out of the Big 33 Game, replaced by Maryland.

[e0y2e3]

(Also, I think Tony Stevens may be the tall WR they end up pairing with Quick, who isn't small by any means, Gibson and Jacobs. It appears that Stevens has finally fully decommitted from FSU)

[peeker643]

In other strange news, Ohio is officially out of the Big 33 Game, replaced by Maryland.

They should have replaced Pennsylvania with Maryland, left Ohio and let all those PA players who haven't played in the game the past few years watch a couple real high school football states have at it in Pittsburgh.

[furls]

There is alot of stuff swirling around Bobby Foster and tOSU. I do know that if tOSU is not interested he will not the OV.

As for Stevens, I think he wants to come play for Meyer, but everyone that matters in the kid's life is pushing him to FSU. I hadn't heard that he has pulled the plug fully on Stevens. If he did, then I think he does end up at tOSU.

I think Meyer will get Quick, Mitchell and Bell. No way Dooley is back next year, and I think that ends thoughts of Bell to TN. I think he will get Foster if he wants him.

If you are right about Stevens, a haul of Marshall, Quick, Gibson, Jacobs and Foster/Stevens would be ridiculous. Realistically, there is no way that all those kids pan out (they would be lucky if half did), but you have to think that there are 2-3 difference makers for tOSU on that list.

Marshall is special in the Braxton Miller sense. He is not going to destroy people with straight line speed, but he is going to make them look dumb.

Foster is another guy that comes in and makes a difference right away if they get him.

The others.... we shall see.

[furls]

Oh yeah, something that has flown under the RADAR this week: scUM's best OL commit (probably the only OL commit I really coveted) decommitted last week and is probably off to UF, although he is considering tOSU. I am not sure Meyer would take him as Dawson projects to OG (albeit a very good OG) and Meyer is really interested in OT's that he can move in. I was just enjoying their pain!

Looks like Gareon Conley is very close to decommitting to scUM as well. I would actually like to see Conley in S&G particularly because it looks like Cam Burrows will actually be a safety not a CB.

A secondary haul of Conley, Woodard, Bell and Burrows would be ridiculous. I really like Jayme Thompson too, but the other 4 would perfectly fit the Cover 4 pattern matching D that Withers is trying install.

[e0y2e3]

Dawson just put OSU in his top four and OSU was on the phone immediately after the decommit. Kid is too good to ignore.

OSU also offered Conley last week, IIRC.

Best news of the last week is Raekwon Mcmillen coming out and declaring OSU his number one still, after a visit to Clem$$$on. Well that and Thadeus Snodgrass' impending commitment 11/5, getting the class of 2014 rolling.

[furls]

What a way to get 2014 rolling! Raekwon is a must get (as bad as our LB play has been). He is the #1 2014 LB in my book, I don't care what the services say. All you have to do to validate that opinion is look at his offer list; it is a who's who of the best defenses and most talented teams in the NCAA. His film is amazing, he is a smart kid (implying the ability to learn the D) and he is physically ready to play in the NCAA today (as a junior). I remember seeing his Fr. highlights about a year ago and thinking the kid had to be a senior. He is every bit of 6'3 240. Most important recruit of 2014 for the Bucks.

Booker looks like a great athlete, but he is not nearly as natural of a football player as McMillan. I will say McMillan is....."Katzenmoyer-esque."

Thad Snodgrass will be a nice pick up. Possible playmaker/gamebreaker there.

David Dawson was the only scUM OL I wanted. I would still like to see him in S&G. He looked GREAT in camps this summer. Lots of film of him stopping and even dominating some pretty elite DL prospects.

tOSU slept on Conley I think because they thought with Burrows and Woodard they thought they had two of the 5 best CBs in 2013. Now it looks like Burrows has (or will) outgrow CB and end up at FS. Additionally, tOSU's depth at CB looks really poor now.

[furls]

Just for fun, I took a look at scUM's 2013 class that was largely locked up this winter because I haven't seen the names in a while. That class looks pretty crappy now (compared to all the superlatives it got this spring).

-Shane Morris fell apart in the elite 11. He looks like a big arm and that is about all. He looked terrible for the half of his Sr. year he played. I mean TERRIBLE.
-Conley is waffling.
-Haven't seen much from Lewis or Thomas, but I think they are solid.
-LTT, Fox and Bosch got abused in the summer camp circuit by good players.
-Dawson is gone.
-Taco Charlton is still OVERRATED.
-Jake Butt is a nice player (Marcus Baugh is orders of magnitude better)
-Dukes is a nice player, but in the same league as Quick, Foster, Stevens or Gibson.
-Gedeon is underrated.

There is class is overrated.

[e0y2e3]

To be fair, Morris did have mono for the duration of his senior year.

No doubt the class is far more numbers than talent though and losing two of the best in Conley and Dawson would really hurt those numbers.

Bollman blowing Thomas still pisses me off.

[furls]

Top 5 players in OH should automatically get an offer and Thomas was clearly a top 5. Fuck Jim Bollman. The play of the OL this year is just further testament to what a waste that walrus looking fuck was. Warriner took Bollman's players and made a very good OL out of last year's back ups and a converted TE. Mewhort, Fragel and Linsley all look better than Adams, Shugarts and Brewster. What a waste. Can you imagine what Adams, Shugarts and Brewster may have been with real coaching?

I remember hearing that Bollman refused to use sleds with his OL, I remember thinking to myself, "that shows every Saturday in the fall."

[Sea Foam Green]

[quote]No way Dooley is back next year, and I think that ends thoughts of Bell to TN.[quote]

I don't follow you here. I understand the case where a guy wouldn't want to commit to Louisville if Strong leaves, but if a guy is willing to commit to TN with Dooley there, why does he leave if they go out and get somebody better [which shouldn't be hard]?

[e0y2e3]

Relationships are huge in recruiting, unless you have an Urban Meyer type. Guys like Dooley and Strong have been working on Quick and Bell for years at this point.

Anyhow, as I understand it, Dooley is owed like a $7MM buyout if he goes before his contract is up next year. Since the Volunteers are still paying Phillip Fulmer through the end of this year there is a chance Dooley survives just for financial reasons.

[neoleo]

Why are we seeing these decommits from scum? They're actually having a better season than I anticipated. Does this have to do with Hoke supposedly pulling offers if his commits take their visits?

[e0y2e3]

Dawson and Conley were early signees that didn't look around.

Dawson fell into that "Cass Tech Pipeline" to UM trap and it never really registered with him as he transfered to Cass Tech from Houston. Without being from Michigan you can't expect a pipeline trap school to run your recruiting, which he allowed to happen at first. He insisted on taking visits and finally broke it off with UM to do so.

FWIW: After Dawson's visit to UF-SCar he didn't commit as expected and told interviewers he wanted to see schools closer to home given his family situation before making up his mind. He also has visits scheduled to MSU on Nov 3rd and OSU for The Game, with Alabama in December.

Conley commited really, really early in the recruiting game when he was still extremely unknown and has seen his star rise a ton this year. He took no other visits, nothing and just really regrets it now that he's "blown-up" this year. Hoke has already blocked him from visiting Cincy (the kid really wants to take visits) and now Urban, ND, et al are coming at Hoke.

[e0y2e3]

Also, Urban is still working on Mike McCray, and OSU legacy they waited too long to offer, pissed off and sent to scUM. The odds of a flip are faw lower than say, Conley or Dawson, but the staff is still speaking with him so there is something there.

Analzone and Love really fucked up this class at LB. Love was supposedly a silent commit who Pelini grabbed via Mooney ties and we all know the Analzone story. Those two and Gedeon were the first three "serious" LB targets. To Gedeon's credit, he just was never really interested.

[motherscratcher]

So what's the better approach for these coaches? Block committed players from visits and potentially piss them off and push them away? Or let them take visits and roll the dice that they won't fall in love someplace else?

Tough call. I guess if a kid isn't 100% in and wants to take visits there's nothing to be done about it. Depends on the kid.

[e0y2e3]

Very, very, very, few coaches block visits theres days. People like Kiffin actually encourage them (having only 17 schollies and 5 5*'s helps that).

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Just get LBs that can actually play (sans Shaz), how many stars they have is no concern of mine.

[furls]

Interesting info on Bob Foster... apparently he is not talking with Pitt recruiting reporters right now (anymore?). If this is in fact true it is a pretty strong sign that Pitt is out of the picture. Once a recruit that used to talk to the services that cover a team (like Bucknuts does for tOSU) that is usually a sign that the kid is no longer considering that team. If true, that rockets tOSU's odds of bringing in Foster to 80-90%. I would say the only obstacle at that point is an OV commitment to 'Bama. Foster has never really been the guy that has been dying to get out of the area, I think the home team (closest good team to home) wins.

[furls]

Hoke's approach is just dumb.

It does not work on 5* prospects. They have too many options that do not come with strings attached. I hope he keeps doing it because it is dumb. It also assures him of decommitments later. Right now it has only cost him a couple of players (Pharoah Brown, Dawson and probably Conley), but there will come a day when a very important prospect wants to take a look somewhere and Hoke's hardline stance will not be tenable. It is also going to cause him to get screwed late in the process as well, he takes too many early commits, and may find himself with unfilled slots.

I could care less about McCray, he is an OK prospect. Let him take up one of scUM's spots. Gedeon hurts, McCray... who cares. Dooley is owed 5MM and supposedly there are boosters lined up to pay it a la Charlie Weiss at ND.

[e0y2e3]

Foster got kicked out of his team's game last night and was suspended for his first round playoff game.....

[furls]

That might be it for Bobby Foster and Ohio State.

[e0y2e3]

David Dawson just told 11W that he has eliminated Florida to stay near his family and OSU/MSU are tied as his top two. He will be visiting both.

[furls]

Still interested to see if the Bucks will make room for him. Great looking player, just not sure if OG is a priority. Johnson may have something to do with that.

8ish schollies left. Will be interesting down the stretch. My money is on Dawson to MSU.

[e0y2e3]

I just saw this on Rivals, James Quick broke Tyson Gay's (Olympic Sprinter) state record in the 200 last year as a junior. Quick ran a 20.94, which shows that if he quit football and focused on track the kid would have a legit chance at being an Olympic caliber 200 guy.

[e0y2e3]

Also, Givler (Rivals younger and less annoying version of Greene) watched Quick play this weekend and came back calling him "a top 50 player in the nation." Kid is just extremely good and per Givler, a football player that happens to be really fast, not a sprinter trying to play football like a Devon Allen.

[e0y2e3]

And if the amount of times OSU has contacted Dawson is any indication, they will happily take him. Similar to O'Conner last year, IMO, they'll take a guard if they deem them good enough. Flipping UM's best OL this year, a year after the Kalis debacle, would be sweet vengeance.

[furls]

I don't know how many times the staff has contacted him. I would love to see him come to tOSU and give scUM the bird, I am just curious if there is space for an OG.

Here is the list of guys that they kind of need that they got a shot at:

WR (2-3) of the following:
Quick
Gibson
Foster
Stevens
La Rue
Corey Smith
Corn Elder

LB (1-2) of the following:
Mitchell
Trey Johnson (pbly just Mitchell)
Skai Moore

DBs (1-2):
Vonn Bell
Worley

OL (1-2):
Dorian Johnson
David Dawson

So that right there 5-8 more recruits with a max of 8 spots available depends. Buckeyes would need some more attrition to get to 8. I think Dawson standing really depends on what is going on ahead of him with guys like Bell and Mitchell and Foster and Johnson etc.

That said, I think his status is further bolstered by the fuck you factor it would give Hoke. I am certain that makes him even more desirable.

[e0y2e3]

And where the staff has the numbers, most are projecting between 5-8 sports left, so there is that.

Also, Givler at Rivals says there is no way Worley is anything but an LB at the next level and his highlight tape seems to back it up. He is fast and has the frame to easily put on 25+ and is extremely physical. Per the scout's his hips aren't very good, whereas his instincts and physicality are great (not to mention he mostly plays LB now).

And I'd have the think the staff views him as an LB after already taking Darren Lee as the hybrid Star/Safety type.

[furls]

I like moving guys down (tweener safeties like Worley become LBs). I would rather have a smaller more athletic team than a slower big team (of course big and fast is optimal). I prefer Worley at LB as well. I think it is more likely that he is part of the class as a LB than as a S. How many DBs can tOSU take in one class? This class already has:

-Burrows (CB/S)
-Woodard (CB)
-Jayme Thompson (S)
-Darron Lee (S)

and they are still hard after Bell (S). 5 DBs is a lot, 6 is nuts. I could live with Worley and Mitchell as LBs, although I really like the 2014 LBs and we are in great shape for McMillan and Booker (that would give us like 10 scholarship LBs with at least 2 years of eligibililty in 2014).